Hinge assembly for a swingable door



Dec. 15, 1964 R. N. CAREY 3,160,913

HINGE ASSEMBLY FOR A SWINGABLE DOOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 7, 1963 INVENTOR. PUSSELL IV. CAPEV A T TOPNE V6 Dec. 15, 1964 R. N. CAREY 3,160,913

HINGE ASSEMBLY FOR A SWINGABLE DOOR Filed Feb. 7, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. PUSSEL'L N. CAPEV A TTOPNE V5 Dec. 15, 1964 R. N. CAREY 3,160,913

HINGE ASSEMBLY FOR A SWINGABLE DOOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 XII:

Filed Feb. 7, 1965 :INVENTOR. PUSSELL N. CAPEV United States Patent 3,160,913 HINGE ASSEMBLY FOR A SWINGABLE DOOR Russell N. Carey, Niles, Mich., assiguor to Eliason Refrigerator Company, Hartford, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Feb. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 256,848 14 Claims. (Cl. 16-154) This invention relates in general to a hinge construction for supporting a swingable door and, more particularly, to a type of hinge construction which mildly resists movement of the door away from a selected at rest position and utilizes gravity to return said door gently to said at rest position.

Swinging doors of the self-closing type, which include those doors referred to as gr-avita' g doors, are well known in the art and have been used for many years. However, doors of this general character have not, insofar as I am aware, been capable of fully satisfactory operation in certain types of installations, particularly where problems of heat transfer are encountered.

Existing self-closing doors are frequently equipped with spring actuated hinges or steeply inclined cams which produce a rapid return to the at rest position and strongly resist opening. The tendency for a rapid return greatly increases the possibilities for damage to the door and injury to personnel using the same. Moreover, the fast return causes the door to interfere with the movement of personnel and equipment through the opening in which the door is'hung.

However, if the spring mechanism is weakened, or if the slope of the cam mechanism is reduced, in order to slow down the return movement of the door toward its closed or at rest position then the operation of the door often becomes sluggish and ineffective. That is, minor obstructions, such as a dragging gasket on the edge of the door, can prevent proper return movement of the door to its fully closed position. Moreover, the return urging of the door may be so reduced that it will be incapable of overcoming the friction and inertia of the door'so that it will remain open.

Where steep cams are used, primarily because they are required to overcome the initial resistance and inertia of the door, it is often necessary to provide special edge structures on the upper and lower edges of the door to compensate for the upward and downward movement of the door while it is opening or closing.

Many self-closing, swinging doors, which are supported by existing hinge construction, become misaligned after a relatively short period of normal usage. That is, the door does not accurately return to a fully closed position when it is at rest, even though it is not materially obstructed in its return movement.

Aside from the bad appearance of a misaligned door, or the time and expense required to keep it aligned, there is the further problem of the heat loss which occurs where such doors are used in the entry to a cold storage room. Since the problems that arise from a poorly fitting or poorly operating swinging door are more serious where the door is used in the entrance to a cold storage room,.reference is made herein to such use for illustrative purposes. However, the applicants hinge construction is capable of improving the operation of double'acting, swinging doors of the self-closing type, regardless of the specific utilization. For example, the applicants hinge construcbe used to support a door for an opening in a tion can partition wall.

Applicants improved hinge construction causes the door which it supports to develop a pendulous action as it swings from its substantially fully open position into its substantially closed position. Thus, when'the door is moved into a substantially open position, it tends to dwell its open position to its closed position with a slow,

. integral with the hinge 3,1fi0,913 Patented Dee. 15, 1964 insaid open position until gravity overcomesinertia and initiates the return movement. i Accordingly, the objects of this invention have been: (1) To provide an improved hinge construction for a swinging door of the self-closing type, which construction is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install in a gentle manner and in response'to the force of gravity,

only, and which canbe operatedsrepeatedly over long periods .of time without necessitating readjustment of the hinge construction in order to return the door to its at rest position. I V

(3) To provide 'a hinge construction, as aforesaid, which permits the use of sealinggaskets along the edge of the door to minimize heat transfer through the opening in which the door is located, which permits double acting swinging movement of the door either by itself or in'cooperation with another swinging door in the same opening supported by a similar hinge construction, and which is arranged so that the swinging door tends to move'from pendulous movement which is easily damped when and as the door reaches its at rest position by damping mechanism construction. v T

(4) To provide a hinge construction, as aforesaid, which permits opening of the door supported thereby with a minimum of forceapplied to the door in a horizontal direction, which requires little or no maintenance, such as periodic lubrication which attracts dust and dirt to the lubricated parts, and which can operate effectively without return springs or steep cam surfaces to effect the return movement of the door toward its at rest position.

Other. objects and purposes of this invention will be come apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following'descriptive material and examining the accompanying drawings in which;

line IIII in FIGURE 1. I FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, broken fragmentof FIG- UREjl.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 'Iv-qv in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a broken. sectional viewsubstantiallyas taken along the line V-V in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragment of FIGURE 3' with the door in a partially open position.

FIGURE! is an exploded fragm' nt-of the upper hinge unit of the invention.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along theflin'e VIII-VIII in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary, broken," front elevational view ofa modified hinge construction embodying the invention.

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged, exploded, prespective view of the upper hinge unit of the modified hinge construction appearing in FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XIXI in FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary and broken, front elevabodying the invention.

FIGURE 13 is an exploded, enlarged view of the upper hinge unit. appearing in FIGURE 12.: 7

FIGURE 14 is a sectional view taken along the use XI VXIV in FIGURE 12. a p 7 FIGURE is a broken fragment of a further hinge construction which embodies the invention. 7 I

FIGURE 16 is a sectional view taken along the line XVI-XVI in FIGURE 15.

FIGURE 17 isa broken fragment of a modified upper hinge used atthe lower end of a door. I I

For convenience in description, the terms upper,

lower and words of similar import will havereference v to the hingeconstruction of the invention and a door associated therewith as appearing in FIGURES 1, 9 and 12.

The terms -inner outer and words of similar import will have reference to the geometric center of said hinge construction, units thereof and parts associated therewith.

General Construction The objects and purposes of the invention, including those set 'forth above, have been met by providing an improvedhinge construction for supporting a swingable door for substantially horizontal movement in either direction away from an at rest position into which'said door isgently urged entirely by gravity. The hinge construction is comprised of an upper hinge unit, which controls the gravitating movement of the door, and a lower hinge unit which guides such movement. The hinge axis is disposed at an angle to and adjacent to one vertical edge et the door, such angle. diverging upwardly and being disposed within the door opening. The hinge construction of the invention can be'built into the wall surround},

ing the opening with which it is associated,v or it may vbe installed within the is completed. Detailed Description The hinge construction (FIGURES 1 and 2), which has been selected to illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention, is comprised of an upper hinge 10. and a lower hinge 11 which pivotally connect the upper and lower parts, respectively, of the door 12 to the adja-.

cent portions of the wall 13 defining the opening :14 in said wall. For illustrative purposes, a second door 16 is mounted by means of the upper hinge 17 and lower hinge 18 upon the wall 13 within the opening 14 so that the doors 12 and 16 substantially completely closethe opening 14when'said doors, are, in their at rest positions, as appearing in FIGUREI. Thedoorjld, upper hinge 17 and lower hinge 18 are preferably, but not necessarily,

openingafter the wall structure '22 and said head jamb 24.

I 4 in said lower panel 20 also facilitates the closing movement of the door as discussed hereinafter.

The opening 14- in the wall 13 is defined by a threshold 22=on the floor 23 ahead jamb 24 and a pair of side jambs 26 and 27 which extend between said threshold In this particular embodiment, the head jarnb 24 and side jambs 26 and 27 are disclosed as channel-shaped members which slid-ably embrace adjacent portions of the wall 13. The head jamb 24 (FIGURE 4) is held in place by means such as bolts 28, and said side jambs 26 and 27 are held in place by means such as the bolts or screws 2.9,and 3t respectively (FIGURE 2). The head jamb 24 and side jambs 26 fandZiKFIGURES 3 and 5) may be rigidly connected to each other near their adjacent ends by means such as the bolts 33.

The upper hinge 10 includes apivot member 34 (FIG- URES 3, 6 and 7), which is connected to the upper end of the door 12, and a support member 36 which is secured to and within the headjamb24. More specifically, pivot member 34 (FIGURE 3) includes a mounting plate 37, which is rigidlysecured to the door 12 by screws 38. The mounting1plate37 (FIGURES 4 and 7) has an integral, sidewalrd'ly extending flange 39 2 at its upper end towhich an upwardly extending pivot pin 42 is rig- .idlysecure'd', as by welding. I The pivot axis 5%) (FIG- URE 1) of'the pivot pin 42 is preferably parallel with the lengthwise extent of the mounting plate 37.

v A roller shaft 43 (FIGURE 5) extends through and is snugly held within a diametrical opening 44 through the pivot pin 42, preferably so that said shaft 43 is perpendicular to the plane defined by the mounting plate 37. A pair of rollers 46 and 47 are rotatably supported upon the'shaft 43 on opposite sides of the pivot pin 42 and are held upon said shaft 43 by means such as the spring clips 48 and 49. The rollers 46 and Marc preferably identical in size and shape and are also preferably fabricated from adurable, self-lubricating material; such bearings.

as nylon. However, said rollers 46 and 47 could also be made of hardened steel, or they could be roller or ball The pivot m'ember 34 7 (FIGURE .3) is preferably mounted upon the door 12 so that the axis 50 of the pivot pin 42'is inclined with respect to the adjacent side jamb '27 at an angle, of approximately 3, when the door 12 .is in its at rest position within the opening 14, which position'is substantially parallel with the wall 13. In

' said at rest position, theroller shaft 43 is substantially perpendicular to said wail 13.,

. The support member 36 includes an elongated support bracket 52 which is mounted within the head jamb 214 (FIGURE-'4) upon the'web 51 of the channel memidentical with the door 12, upper hinge 10 and lower hinge 11,, respectively; Accordingly, a detailed descrip- I 'tion' ofthe door 12 and its hinge-s 10 and 11 will be given ,hereinafter and such description will be understood to.

apply, at least in substance,'to the door .16 and its hinges Hand 18.; The door 12 (FIGURE ,l J' may be of a substantially conventional type which, in this particular embodiment,

"may be 'fabricatedfrom a substantially rigid and durable partiCularly Whenthey are opened by means other than ber 53 by;the bolts.54. Said channel member 53 may be welded to .the head jarnb 24. Saidsupport bracket 52", has .at its opposite ends a pair'of integral, downwardly extending hangers 5d and 57 with integral fianges 58 and 59, respectively, which extend toward each other substantially within'th'e same plane from the lower ends of said hangers. ,,The plane-defined bysaidfla'nges58 and 59 isprcferably disposed at an angle of approximately 3 1 :t0 the hori7'on'tal, or to the 'web 62 of the head jarrib 24- (FIGURESJS and16) sothatisaid plane is'substantially perpendicular to the axis StPofthe pivot pin 42.

hands. That -is, swinging "doors of the typeforwhich I v the hinges 10 and 11 are specifically designed, are he. 7

'que'ntly openedby vehicle's; containers or' the like whichare moved; through the opening in which the door is supported. The lower panel 20, fwhich'would normally receive therougher treatment, may advantageonslybe fabricated from somewhat heavier material than the ma- -terial required'in the upper panel 19. The added weight V .Ah elongated] substantially. rectangular support plate 65 (FIGURES Sand 7)" is mounted upon and between the flanges 58 and 59, as by thebolts 64 and 65, which i extend through openings 67 and 68 in the plate63 and openings wand, 74) in theflanges 58 and 59,, respectively. The openings69 and '76 in the flanges 58 and 59 are "preferably elongated laterally of the bracket 52 toper- .mit lateral adjustment of the support plate 63 with re- .spect to the support bracket 52 when the door 12 is initially'hung or late'rf'aligned. withinvtheopening 14. I,

. The support .plate'oihas a transverseiupwardly opening groove 73 which is substantially V-shaped in cross section and into which the rollers 46 and 47 are simultaneously receivable. Said support plate 63 also has a central opening 74 which preferably extends through the center of the groove 73. Said opening 74 is slightly larger than the diameter of the pivot pin 42, and said opening is located so that the pivot pin 42 does not engage the edge of the opening 74, particularly in a direction crosswise of said groove 73, when the rollers 46 and 47 are snugly disposed within the groove 73. Accordingly, the rollers 46 and 47 will always return to their fully seated positions within the groove 73 when the door is released to swing freely. The groove 73 is preferably narrow, in this particular embodiment, so that the door must be at an angle of preferably less than 45 to the at rest position before the .rollers start to move downwardly into the groove 73. Thus, the door 12 can be swung substantially beyond its at rest position, as indicated by broken lines at 12a in FIGURE 5, without being held open by said groove and rollers. On the other hand, by widening the groove 73, as shown in FIGURE 5, it is possible to use said groove not only to hold the door 12 in its at rest or closed position, but also to hold it in an open position substantially beyond a 90 angle from its closed position.

The lower hinge 11 (FIGURES3 and 8) includes a pivot member 78, which is mounted upon the lower end of the side jamb 27 adjacent the threshold 22 of the opening 14, and a guide member 79, which is rigidly secured to the lower end of the door 12. The pivot member 78 includes a support plate 82 which is rigidly secured near one end to the side jamb 27 and which has near its other end an upstanding pivot pin 83, which pin is preferably coaxial with the pivot pin 42, when the door 12 is in its FIGURE 1 position. The guide member 79 has a mounting plate 84, which is rigidly secured to the lower end of the door 12 by screws 86, and it has an integral sidewardly extending flange 87 at its lower end which extends under the door 12. The flange 87 has a pivot opening 88 through which the pivot pin 83 is slidably and rotatably receivable. The lower end of the door 12 may be recessed at 91 to loosely receive the upper end of the pivot pin 83.

The lower hinge 11 (FIGURE 8) is intentionally constructed so that it does not support any of the weight of the door 12, since that would interfere with the gravitating action effected by the upper hinge 10. Although the common axis 50 of the pivot pin 42 and 83 is preferably disposed at an angle of approximately 3 with respect to the adjacent edge 93 of the door 12, hence the adjacent vertical surface of the side jamb 27, other angles of inclination can be used if desired or required. For example, the inclination will effect the movement of the door from its open to its closed position and the amount of force required to move the door from its closed to its open position.

The door 12, where used to close an entry to a cold storage room, may be provided with gaskets or sealing elements 95, 95a and 96, 96a along its vertical edges 97 and 93 and its horizontal edges 98, 98a, respectively.

The seals 95, 95a, 96 and 96:; are preferably fabricated from resiliently flexible material, such as re-enforced rubber or plastic material, which is capableof repeated bending and The bottom seal 96 is arranged so that it is closely adjacent the floor 23 when the door 12 is in its at rest position of FIGURE 1. Thevertical seal 95 is arranged so that it extends slightly beyond the midway line hetween the adjacent edges 97 and 103 of-said doors 12 and 16, respectively, positions of FIGURES 1 overlap and gently engage and 2. Thus, the seal 95 will the corresponding seal 102 on by its-hinges 17 and 18 withinithe opening 14,1as described above With respect to the door 12 and its hinges 10 and 11. i

when they are both in their at res rubbing with a minimum of set and/or wear.

" ;.the;vertical edge 103 of the door 16 when it is mounted The vertical seal 95a is secured to andextends from the edge 93 of the door 12 so that said seal slightly engages the adjacent surface of the side jamb 27 when said door is in its at rest position. The top seal 96a (FIGURE 1), which is secured to the upper edge of the door 12, may be spaced downwardly slightly from the head jamb 24 when said door 12 is in its at rest position in FIGURE 1. Thus, when the door is raised slightly, as it is swung away from said at rest position, due to the action between the rollers 46, 47 and the support plate 63, said top seal 96a will not be jammed against the head jamb 24.

Operation As indicated above, the doors 12 and 16 (FIGURES l and 2) are disposed in their at rest positions when one direction or the other (FIGURE 6) away from the at rest position, the rollers 46 and 47 are caused to climb up the side walls of the groove 73,, thereby raising the door 12 slightly due to a camming action. The walls of the groove 73 are preferably relatively steep so that the rollers promptly move up onto the upper surface of into their raised positions, which are lines at 46a and 47a in FIGURE '6.

the support plate 63 indicated in broken This upward movement serves the purpose of moving the bottom seal 96 away from the floor 23 with a minimum of dragging action therebetween. The groove 73 is preferably designed so that the rollers 46 and 47 do not move back into the groove 73 until the door 12 is at an angle of less than to its at rest or its closed position. Thus, the door 12 can be'moved easily into the open position, indicated by broken linesat 12a in FIGURE 5, and it can still return by gravity to its at rest position. I

If the door 12 is unobstructed when it has reached-its open position 7 door 12 back toward its at rest position due to the inclination in the pivot axis of the door hinges 10 and .11 and the cooperating, inclined upper surface of. the support plate 63. This movement is largely pendulous in nature and is not intended to be a camming action. Camming occurs only after the rollers reach the groove 73 and start to move downwardlythereinto, whereby closing movement of the door tends to be accelerated slightly.

However, when the rollers pass their at restfpositions in the groove 73 continued movement of the door requires a raisingthereof which immediately'retards'such movement.

The resultant oscillation of the door 12 is quickly stopped with applicants invention, unless the groove 73 is relatively shallow. v

, Because the rollers 46 and 47(FIGURES4 and 5) are disposed on opposite sides of the pivot pin 42, extremely accurate positioning of the fat rest position of the door 12 can be achieved. 'That is, with said rollers in the groove 73,.the bolts 64 and are loosened so that the support plate 63 can be adjusted with respect to theflanges 58 and 59. When adjustment of the door 12 is exactly as desired, the bolts 64 and 65 are tightened. The protection panels 19 and 20 tend to shift the center of gravity of the door 12 toward the meeting edge 97 thereof, which improves the closing operation of the door, particularly on lightweight doors. g 7

The door 12, and in a similar manner the door 16, can be quickly and easily removed for inspectionand/or repair merely by removing the bolts 64 and 65 and thereafter slidingthe support plate 63 sidewardly and 'down- I wardly through the opening 104 in the web 62 0f the head jamb 24. Thereafter, the door 12 maybe tilted and then raised so that the guide member 79 is moved away 12a (FIGURE 5 gravity will move the from and oif ofthe pivot pin 83. Alternatively, and where expedience dictates, the door 12 can be removed from its opening 14 by loosening the screws 38 which secure the mounting plate 37 to said door 12 after which the door israised until the guide member 79'is released,

from engagement with the pivot member 7 8. Obviously,

the door 12 can be quickly returned to its operating posi-;'

tion by reversing the foregoingsteps.

Modified Construction its upper end to the upper pin plate 114. The lower hinge 112 includes a lower hinge pin 116 which is secured to the lower pin plate 117. The upper and lower pin plates 114 and117 are integral with and extend sidewardg ly" in the same direction from the opposite ends ofvthe jamb plate 118,1which is secured by means suchas the bolts 119 to the web 1220f the channel-shaped side jamb 123. The pin plates 114'and 117 are heldsnugly againstthe head jamb 124 and floor 126, respectively, which combine with the side jamb 123-to define a door'opening 127 in the Wall128.

The upper hinge llll'includes a support member 131 having a support bracket 132 andsupport plate 133 which in general may be similar to the support bracket 52 and .support plate 63' (FIGURE 3), except that their positions are reversed and inverted. A mounting plate 134 is secured tothe support-bracket'132 for the purpose of connecting the support member 131 by means of the screws 136 to the door 111. The upper edge of the door 111 is provided with a notch 137 into which the support bracket 132 is snugly received when said connection is accomplished. a i 1 Rollers 138' and 139 arerotatably supported upon a shaft 140 which is in turn secured to the upper hinge pin 113 in substantially. the same manner as the shaft 43 is mounted 'upon the, pivot pin 42. The support plate 133 has a central opening 142 for loose reception of the pin 113 therethrou gh. Said plate 133a1so hasa downwardly facing groove 143 which'extends through the opening 142 and is engaged by the rollers 133'and 139', as discussed;

above with. respect to the upper hinge 10, except that the. corresponding elements are in the reverse positions.

. flange 149 around the hinge pin 116.

swings back with a pendulous motion toward its at rest position and positively'locates such at rest position.

By a minor obvious modification of the support member 131, the support bracket 132 thereof can be fabricated like the support bracket 52 (FIGURE 3) so that the support plate 133 is held ina position substantially perpendicular to the hinge axis 153 (FIGURE 9). Under :suchcircumstances, particularly where a relatively light door is involved, it might be advantageous to tilt the hinge pins 113 and 116 so that theyare coaxial with the hinge axis 153, as in the case of the hinge construction disclosed in FIGURE 3.. It will be seen that the hinge construction in FIGURE'Q can be mounted to support an existing door in an existing door jamb without any material modification in either part except for the notch in the upper edgeof thexdoor 111.

The upper hinge 1111 (FIGURE 9) and the'upper hinge (FIGURE 3) require'no lubrication dueto thematerial used in the rollers 138, 139 and 46, 47, respectively. Lubrication of-thelower hinges 112 and11, should the need become apparent, can be eliminated by providing a nylon bearing as indicated at 156 (FIGURE 11) in the The modified hinge construction, which is disclosed in FIGURES 12, 13 and 14, is adapted to support light weight, partition doors used in normal temperature installations. Thisconstruction includes an upper hinge 160 (FIGURES 12 and 13), which is connected to the upper end of the door 161, and. a lower hinge162 (FIGURES 12' and 14), which is connected to the lower end of said door 161. Broadly speak ng, the upper and lower hinges 1 and 162 are similar lIICOIlStIllCillOl'l and operation to a the upper and lower hinges and 112, respectively,

.which'are shown in FIGURE 9. I

More specifically, theuper hinge'160' '(FIGURE 13) includes an uper pin plate-164 which supports a substantially vertical hinge, pin 163 and which is secured to the 7 upper jamb 166 by screws 167. The upper jamb 166, side That is, when the door 111 is swung away Jfrom its fat rest position in FIGURE 9, the support plate 133 moves with the door and with respect to the hinge pin 113 so thatthe lower surface of the support plate 133 moves upwardly onto thev rollers 138 and 139, whereby the door 111 is raised slightly. Af'typical cover plate 144 (FIG,- URES 9 and lO) is mounted upon the support bracket 132 and extends across the front surface of the parts disjamb 168 and the threshold 169 combine to define a door opening 172 in which the door 161 is swingably supported by the hinges -and162. The upper hinge 160'also includes a support bracket 173 having a U-shaped mounting plate 174, which is rigidly secured to said door 161 adjacent the upper edge. thereof and near one side edge 176 thereof by means of thescrews 1 77. The upper edge of the door 161 has a recess 178 which conforms substan tially exactly with the notch 179 in the mounting plate 174. a

The support bracket 17 3 includesa pair of preferably parallel flanges 181 and 182 which are integral with, and

extend in opposite directions perpendicularly from, the

. 'imounting plate 174. 1

posed therein. A similar-cover plate can, be mounted upon theopposite side of the support bracket 132.,

Thelower hinge 112 includes a guide member 146 hava ing a mounting plate 147 which is secured by' the screws 'into position by rotation of plate 186, 1.60

148 to the lower portion of the door 111. The guide member 146 has at its lower end a sidewardly extending flange 149 with an opening 152 th hinge pin 116 is'slidably received.

The vertical jamb plate 118 is somewhat further firom the upper; hinge 113 than it is; from the lower hinge pin 116 so that the hinge axis 153, which extendsfrom,

the center of. the opening 152 to the center of the opening 142 in the plate 133, diverges upwardly with respect" to the adjacent edge'1 54 of the door 111; Thus, wh th 70 I door 111 is moved in a substantially horizontal direction either way from its, at rest position Of -FIGURE 9,

gravity urges the return ofthe door toward its at rest?" position. The reception of therollers 13321116 139 into the groove 143 dampens the oscillations'of thedoor as it rough which the lower "1115 support bracket 173 and thereby adjust at rest? position of the free edge of the door. a

The support'plate 186;(FIGURE 13),, has 'arcentral 4 Y 194, respectively,

upper ends of the legs'183 and 184, respectively, of the The upper hinge 160 (FIGURE 13) includes a substantially flat and'elongated support plate 186 having notches 187 and 188 in'diagonally opposite corners thereof, which notchesform theprojections 191 and 192. Said projections lfl and 192 are. arranged so that they can bemoved beneaththe flanges 181 and 182, respectively, to engage and support/the support bracket 173, hence the door 161 secured thereto. The projections 191 and 192 have bolt openirigs 193 and V which are alignable with bolt openings 196 and 197 in thefianges 181 and 182'. Said bolt open- 1 ings 196 and 197 are elongated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting plate 174 to allow for lateral adjustment ot-th'e support plate-186 with respect to openin'g 198;.into which the upper hinge pin 163 is loosely received.f1;Said support plate 186 also has a downwardly facinglgroove' the central opening 19fi and transversely of saidsupport L plate... A pair of rollers 202 and. 203' are rotatably sup 201' which extends diametrically through the closed or groove 201.

ported upon diametrically opposite sides of the hinge pin 163 by means of the roller shaft 294 which preferably extends diametrically through the hinge pin 163. The rollers 292 and 203 are arranged so that they are simultaneously and snugly receivable into the groove 201 when the pin 163 is disposed in the opening 193 and spaced from the edge thereof, at least in a direction crosswise of the groove 201. The support plate 186 can be quickly and easily disengaged from the support bracket 173 by loosening the bolts 2116 and 297, which extend through the bolt openings 193, 194 and 196, 197, and then rotating the support plate 186 around the hinge pin 16.3 and with respect to the support bracket 173. Re-engagement is effected by reversing these steps.

The lower hinge 162 (FIGURES 12 and 14) includes a hinge bracket 211 which is secured by screws 212 to the side jamb 168 adjacent the threshold 169 and which has a hinge pin 21%) extending upwardly therefrom. The lower end of the door 161 is provided with an upwardly extending recess 213 into which the lower hinge pin 210 is loosely receivable. A pair of pivot brackets 215 and 216 are rigidly secured to the opposite sides of the door 161 adjacent the recess 213 by means of nuts and bolts 217, which extend completely through thepivot brackets 215, 216 and the door 161 (FIGURE 14). The pivot brackets 215 and 216 have inwardly opening, vertical grooves 218 and 219 which open toward each other and substantially surround the recess 213 to form with said recess 213 a vertical passageway into which the hinge pin 210 is loosely received.

The side edge 176 of the door 161 is substantially closer to the recess 213 than to the center of the recess 178. Thus, the hinge axis 222 between the upper hinge 160 and the lower hinge 162 diverges upwardly with respect to the side edge 176, for substantially the same purposes as set forth above with respect to the hinge structure appearing in FIGURE 9. That is, the divergent hinge axis 222 causes the door 161 to remain in and return to an at rest position, which is shown in FIGURE 12, wherein the rollers 202 and 203 are snugly disposed within the On the other hand, engagement of the rollers with the side walls of said groove 2111 tends to resist move ment of the door 161 away from its at rest position.

' Aside from the specific assembly of the upper and lower hinges 169 and 162, their operation may be substantially identical to the operation of the upper and lower hinges 119 and 112, respectively, as described above. Moreover, the hinges 160 and 162 can be quickly and easily mounted within an established door opening with a minimum of eflort and without special tools.

FIGURES 15 and 16 illustrate an upper hinge 230 which is a modification of the upper hinge 10 appearing in FIGURE 3. Specifically, said upper hinge 230 is comprised of a pair of spaced and similar, L-shaped support V brackets 231 and 232 which may be secured to a face plate 233 secured to one side of and extending downwardly from the head jamb 234. Such securement may be effected by nuts and bolts 236, orthe like. The other face plate 237 has an access opening 238 through which the support plate 239 and theupper end of the pivot member 242 can be moved sidewardly to remove the door 253 from its hinged position. The opening 238 in the face plate 237 is covered by a cover plate 243.

The support plate 239 (FIGURE 15) is provided with an upwardly facing, transverse groove 244 and a central opening 246 (FIGURE 16) in substantially the same manner as discussed aboveLwithrespect to the support plate 63 (FIGURE 3).

The pivot member 242 includes a pin 247 (FIGURE,

16) which extends through the opening 246 and supports a pair of rollers 248 and 249. Said pivot'rnember 242. may have substantially the same construction as that of the pivot member 34' (FIGURE 7).

The support plate 239 is removably held upon the brackets 231 and 232 by means such as the nuts and bolts 252. In this particular embodiment, the support plate 239 is shown in a substantially horizontal position and the pivot pin 247 is in a substantially vertical position. However, by a modest adjustment in the elevation of the sup port bracket 232, for example, and the mounting of the pivot member 242 upon the door 253, the upper hinge 230 can be mounted in a slightly sloping position, as disclosed hereinabove with respect to the upper hinge 10.

The operation of the upper hinge 230 maybe and preferably is substantially the same as discussed hereinabove with respect to the upper hinge 10, except for the slight variation produced by providing a horizontal support plate 239, the effect of which is covered in substance by the operation described hereinabove with respect to the upper hinge (FIGURE 3).

As shown in FIGURE 17, a hinge 260 which somewhat resembles the hinge 110 (FIGURE 9) may be mounted upon the lower portion of a door 261 to effect substantially the same purposes achieved by mounting said hinge 110 at the top of the door 111. More specifically, the hinge 260 includes a support bracket 262 which is substantially rectangular in shape and is received into a notch 263 in the lower corner of the door 261*adjacent the side jamb 264. Said bracket 262 includes a pair of substantially parallel flanges 266 and 267 which are spaced from but extendtowar-d each other, preferably substantially adjacent the lower edge of the door 261. A support plate 268, which may be substantially identical with the support plate 63 (FIGURE 3), has its opposite ends disposed beneath and held against the flanges 266 and 267 by means such as the bolts and nuts 269.

Said support plate 268 (FIGURE 17) has a downwardly facing, transverse groove 272 into which the rollers, which are mounted on opposite sides of the pivot pin 273, are receivable. One of these rollers is shown at 274 in FIGURE 17. Said pivot pin 273 extends through an appropriate opening through the groove 272in substantially the same manner as discussed above with respect to the hinge 110 (FIGURE 9). However, said pivot pin 273 is, in this particular embodiment, supported at its lower end upon the horizontal flange 276 of the L-shaped bracket 277, the other flange of which is secured to side jamb 264 by screws 278. 1 v

The operation of hinge 260, is in general, similar to the operation of the hinge 110. Moreover, said hinge 260 can be made so that the support plate 268 is sloped downwardly away from the side jamb 264 to better accommodate same to a hinge axis which diverges upwardly with respect to the side jamb 264, in a manner previously discussed in detail.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the in- Vention have been disclosed above for illustrative'purposes, it .will be understood that variations or modifications of such disclosure, which come within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is: Q 1. A hinge structure for supporting afdoor-adjacent an opening in a wall structure for movement around a hinge Y axis parallel with the plane of said door, said axis being at a small acute angle to the vertical centerline of the door, comprising: 7 p

a support mechanism connected betweensubstantially horizontal and adjacent edge portions of said door and said wall structure adjacent said opening, said support mechanism comprising pin means substantially parallel and substantially concentric with said axis, a pair'of support elements mounted upon substantially opposite "sides of said pin means, and a support ,plate substantially perpendicular to said pin means, said plate having a pin opening through which said pin means extends and substantially V-shaped recess means into which said support elements are substantially simultaneouslyreceivable onl substantially opposite sides of said pin opening, whereby said door is substantially supported by said support mechanism for pivotal movement around saidaxis, said door being urged by gravity into a position wherein .both support elements are disposed in said recess means and thereby opposite pivotal movement of said door; and guide means connected between other adjacent edge portions of said door and said wall structure adjacent said opening and remote from said support mechanism, said guide means being located along.

structure like thefirst-mentioned hinge structure supstructure adjacent. an opening therein for movement door and, accordingly, is at a small acute angle to said hinge axis; and

wherein said support plate is secured to said door and is perpendicular tosaid opening downwardly. 4. A' hinge structure according to claim 1' wherein said guide means includes a guide pin secured to said wall structure near the lower end of said door and extending upwardly parallel with the vertical centerline of the door,

parallel with the vertical c'enterline of the door, per

pendicular to said support plate and at a small acute angle to the hinge axis, said recess means opening downwardly. I 6. A hinge structure according to claim 1 wherein said pin means ismounted upon said wall structure, said support plate is mounted ,upon said door and said recess means opens downwardly; and

including cover means mounted upon said door and covering a substantial portion of said support-mechamsm. 7. A hinge structure according to claim 1 wherein said pin, means is secured to said Wall structure and is parallel with said centerline of said door; and a I wherein said support mechanism includes bracket means secured to the upper edge of said door, said support plate being adjustably secured tosaid bracket means and perpendicular to the lengthwise extent of said pin means, said recess means opening downwardly.

pinmeans, said recess means 7 8. A hinge. structure according to claim 1 wherein said a support elements comprise a pair of rollers andshaft means extending from opposite sides of said pin means and supporting said rollers for rotationaround substantially horizontal axes substantially perpendicular to said plane of said door when said door is in'said position.-

9. The structure of claim 1 wherein said pin means and i part of said guide means are'rigidly'securedfto said door near one upright edge thereofij wherein said supportplate" and another part of said guide means are secured. tosaid wall'structure; and

wherein said recess means opensupwai-dly. Y i 10; The structure of claim l wherein said pinj means is rigidly secured to said wall structure; 7

wherein said support plate and part of said are rigidly secured to said door; and wherein said recess 'means' opensf downwardly.

11; The structure of claim l'including a second hinge pivot means i 7' 7' 2O wise axis is parallel with the vertical centerline of the [around a hinge axis parallel with the plane of said door,

'said axis being near one upright edge of said door and diverging upwardly at a relatively small, acute angle to a vertical line'adjacent said edge of said door, comprising:

a support member securable to said wall structure ads jacent said opening, said member including an upright side element and upper and lower end elements extending from said side element at spaced points thereon and in substantially the same direction therefromj v 1 I pivot pin means secured to the upper end element and extending downwardly therefrom;

a pair. of rollers supported upon substantially opposite sides of said pivot pin means for rotation around substantially horizontal axes substantially perpendicular. to the plane defined by said elements;

amounting plate secured to the door and having a central opening through which said pivot pin means is loosely received, said mounting plate having downwardly opening, substantially V-shaped groove means on opposite sides of said'opening and substantially perpendicular to said doory'said rollers being disposed within said groove means when said door is substantially disposed within said plane; and pivot means connected between the lower end element andisaid door to guide the movement of said door around said axis, whereby said door is pivotally movable-in both horizontal directions away from said position substantially within said plane, wherein said around ahinge axis parallel with the planeof said door,

said axis being near one upright edge of said door and d verging upwardlyat a relatively small, acute angle to a a vertical line adjacent said edge of said door, comprising:

pivot pin means. rigidlysecured to said wall structure near theupperl edge of said opening and near a substantially vertical edge of said opening, said pivot pin extending downwardlysubstantially vertically; a pair of similar rollers and means supporting same upon substantially oppositefsides of the pivot pin means for rotation around substantiallyhorizontal axes substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by said edges of said opening; I l a mounting plate secured to the door adjacent an upper edge. portion thereof and .near' said upright edge thereofi said mounting plate being substantially perpendicular to said 'pivot pin means and-having a central opening through which said pivot pin means is loosely received andfhaving. a downwardly opening, substantially V-sh ped groove extending across said opening and substantially perpendicularly to the plane of said door, said rollersbeing disposed within said groove when the door is substantially disposed within said plane; and 7 r i I lower pivot means connected between the lower edge portion of said door and said wall structure to guide the movement of said door around said hinge axis, the hinge axis. extending through. said pivot pin means and said pivot means, whereby said door is pivotallysupported for substantially horizontal move-' 13 1 3 ment in both directions away from a position sub- References Cited in the file of this patent stantially within said plane, wherein said door is UNITED STATES PATENTS urged by gravity.

14. A hinge structure according to claim 13 wherein gg i 'gza 'k s i the axes of said pivot pin means and said pivot means 5 1787468 Bittir et a1 1931 are parallel and spaced transversely from each other so 1889112 Shoemaker "N 1932 that they are both at a small acute angle to said hinge 23518QO Baum et a1 1944 am, whereby movement Said away fmm said 212201335 Hubbs Nov. 5, 1944 position within said plane causes said door to be supported primarily by engagement of one of said rollers 10 FOREIGN PATENTS with said support plate. 19,165 Great Britain Sept. 23, 1899 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,160,913 December 15, 1964 Russell N. Carey It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 11, line 4, for "opposite" read oppose Signed and sealed this 30th day of November 1965.

(SEAL) Atlest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A HINGE STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING A DOOR ADJACENT AN OPENING IN A WALL STRUCTURE FOR MOVEMENT AROUND A HINGE AXIS PARALLEL WITH THE PLANE OF SAID DOOR, SAID AXIS BEING AT A SMALL ACUTE ANGLE TO THE VERTICAL CENTERLINE OF THE DOOR, COMPRISING: A SUPPORT MECHANISM CONNECTED BETWEEN SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AND ADJACENT EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID DOOR AND SAID WALL STRUCTURE ADJACENT SAID OPENING, SAID SUPPORT MECHANISM COMPRISING PIN MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC WITH SAID AXIS, A PAIR OF SUPPORT ELEMENTS MOUNTED UPON SUBSTANTIALLY OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PIN MEANS, AND A SUPPORT PLATE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PIN MEANS, SAID PLATE HAVING A PIN OPENING THROUGH WHICH SAID PIN MEANS EXTENDS AND SUBSTANTIALLY V-SHAPED RECESS MEANS INTO WHICH SAID SUPPORT ELEMENTS ARE 